Heart cells created from the skin of heart arrhythmia patients potentially could save or improve their lives

Vancouver, BC, February 11, 2015--(T-Net)--A group of Simon Fraser University researchers' cultivation of dozens of beating heart cells in Petrie dishes could one day save or improve the lives of patients with inherited heart arrhythmias. They are genetic mutations that cause irregular heartbeats that can be lethal.

Elham Afshinmanesh and Sanam Shafaattalab, graduate students in SFU's molecular cardiac physiology lab, have created the heart cells, also known as cardiomyocytes, beating in unison. They've been crafted from the skin of heart arrhythmia patients.

Because the beating heart cells share the same genomes as the patients, these cells also mimic the patients' diseases, permitting scientists to experiment with potential drug therapies and interventions.

The students are working under the supervision of Glen Tibbits, an SFU professor and Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiac Physiology. They are collaborating with cardiologists, who specialize in inherited cardiac arrhythmias, at B.C. Children's and St. Paul's hospitals.

Their research is key to developing one of the first laboratories capable of testing cardiomyocytes in vitro and then recommending customized treatment for individuals who have these inherited heart diseases.

“It's often very challenging for clinicians to assess risk in these patients,” explains Tibbits.

“It is frequently difficult to determine whether a patient has a high likelihood of suffering from cardiac arrest or will be okay by simply taking a beta blocker and/or other medications.

“The idea behind our work is to test, with the patient's own cells, what therapies might work, or not.”

The research is new and complex, and they are optimizing the methods by which a patient's blood cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can then become any kind of cell. They have already mastered the ability to turn skin cells into this type of stem cell (iPSC), but would prefer to work with the patient's blood, since this is more efficient and less invasive than using skin biopsies.

Says Afshinmanesh, “When we convert the blood and skin cells to stem cells not all of them can be further differentiated into heart cells. So we're looking for markers that will predict which stem cells are good prospects for becoming heart cells.”

Tibbits expects that within the next few months his lab will be ready to begin testing the beating heart cells with therapeutic interventions to determine the efficacy of individual treatments.

“We have grants to support our work right now, but eventually we hope that these tests will become part of the Medical Services Program,” explains Tibbits. “Then we will isolate the skin or blood cells, convert them, determine the appropriate patient therapy and then be reimbursed.”

The Canadian Institutes for Health Research is funding the research.

About SFU

As Canada's engaged university, SFU is defined by its dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting-edge research and far-reaching community engagement. SFU was founded almost 50 years ago with a mission to be a different kind of university—to bring an interdisciplinary approach to learning, embrace bold initiatives, and engage with communities near and far. Today, SFU is a leader amongst Canada's comprehensive research universities and is ranked one of the top universities in the world under 50 years of age. With campuses in British Columbia's three largest cities—Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby—SFU has eight faculties, delivers almost 150 programs to over 30,000 students, and boasts more than 130,000 alumni in 130 countries around the world.

Ranked by respected national surveys as one of Canada’s top three comprehensive universities for almost 20 years, Simon Fraser University is named after a famous explorer and known for its pioneering spirit.